In 1984 Tim Burton made a short called Frankenweenie, about a kid who uses Frankenstein-like science to bring his deceased pet back to life. Deemed too dark and family-unfriendly to release, the black and white short cost Burton his job at Disney, but ultimately turned into a sort of demo reel that helped him make Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. In the quarter-century that followed the ’84 short, we’ve seen Burton’s friendly-goth style become hugely popular, and now Disney is bankrolling a feature-length remake of Frankenweenie. This new film is in 3D, but animated with stop-motion, and it is still shot in black and white.

Check out the first stills from the film below.

Entertainment Weekly has the images, and quotes Burton the decades-old complaints that Disney had about the original short,

I don’t know, they got freaked out or something, but they still allowed me to make the film. Even though I was frustrated about the release — or not release of it — it was still a great experience, and did a lot for me, so I couldn’t really complain.

Frankenweenie was written by John August (Big Fish) and features the voices of Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, and Atticus Shaffer. It will be released on October 5, 2012.

From creative genius Tim Burton (“Alice in Wonderland,” The Nightmare Before Christmas”) comes “Frankenweenie,” a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can be monstrous.

A stop-motion animated film, “Frankenweenie” will be filmed in black and white and rendered in 3D, which will elevate the classic style to a whole new experience. In Tim Burton’s “Frankenweenie” young Victor conducts a science experiment to bring his beloved dog Sparky back to life, only to face unintended, sometimes monstrous, consequences.